Pulling It Tight
by Undertheunknown
Summary: SasuSaku Cannon-He then proceeded to take hold of one of the strings and pulling on it, slowly at first, and then with more haste, though still gentle. As his hands impended to the roots of the burgundy cord on her chest to tie a double figure eight loop.
1. Prologue Background

**Okay, two things. One-This is the revised version, it is tweaked a bit, not exactly the same as it was on the first post. I apologize for any inconvenience. 'Thing two' still applies. **

**Two- you don't **_**have**_** to read the prologue. It's simply a bit of back-ground. The first chapter is more eventful, so if you do read this and loose interest because there's not Sasuke-kun yet, then switch to the next chapter. Once Sasuke is introduced into the story, there is much more Sasusaku related stuff.**

* * *

"Sakura, Shikamaru, Neji," Tsunade was sitting in her desk, a serious mien filled the room. Her elbows rested on the desk supporting her hands as the entwined fingers rest on her chin, "We've gotten word on Uchiha Sasuke's location." Sakura bit her lip, the hands that she held beneath her cloak tightened. She had heard that there was new information about Sasuke earlier that day from Yamato when he took herself, Naruto and Sai to get ramen. Though he only leaked the information when Naruto was in the bathroom, inevitably from eating so much ramen in the past week. Shikamaru and Neji stood without much reaction as the Hokage continued, "He's said to be heading into the far end of the sound in search of a member for a team he's gathering. I've pulled you three together based on your skills." She looked toward Shikamaru to the left, "Shikamaru, for your skill in tactics and shadow cloning, Neji, for you birth given byakugan, and Sakura," she allowed a small smile to taint her lips "for your advanced proficiency in medical chakra control."

"Tsunade-sama, are you saying that we're the team to go and find him?" Neji questioned before reacting to her affirmation, "Would this not be a job more suitable for ANBU? Or shouldn't a jounin come with us?"

Tsunade nodded, "perhaps, some may think that, but I'm entrusting that Shikamaru's leadership is proficient enough to act as commander. As well as with your skills and knowledge of Sasuke, you will be able to complete this mission."

"I will perform to the best of my abilities Hokage-sama." Shikamaru lowered his head.

Sakura felt a slight abundance of emotions stirring in her core, memories of Sasuke playing back relentlessly. "Tsunade-shishou, are we to capture him?"

She shook her head, her hands parting from her chin and resting on the table, "I want you three to track him. Do not, approach him and be as concealed as possible. If he's killed Orochimaru, then he has substantially grown in power. I don't want to risk young lives. That is also though, why I am asking you three to trail him."

Sakura felt a rush of blood circulating through her head. _She_ was going to be tracking Sasuke? Why would Tsunade assign her a mission she _knew_ would be pulling at her strings the entire time? Simply following behind as she had to watch him walk further and further away from Konoha, she would lose it.

Shikamaru and Neji nodded in response, the golden haired hokage noting her star pupils tense reaction. "Sakura-chan, I know this may be a difficult mission, but I trust you to approach it as best you can."

Sakura looked down nodded, taking the small moment of gracious silence to think. _Three years. It's been three years since he's left. Eight months since our last encounter with him. If there is any chance of getting him back, even if it means pulling myself apart from having him so close at hand, I have to be strong. I've trained under one of the best. It's my time to show for it._ "Hai, Shishou." Sakura bowed her head, Tsunade taking the moment to look at how her pupil had grown. A once demure, introverted naïve child, she had ripened into a student she saw the most potential in. Her newfound courage and acumen simply proved her to be one of incessant aptitude.

The hokage stood, walking in front of the desk and in-front of the three of them. It almost looked as though her hands were shaking, but they quickly regained composer. She pressed a small but thick scroll into each of their hands, "This paper has been concealed with a jutsu, once a piece is ripped off and written on, it will make way to Konoha. If at any-point, you need to contact us with either information, or anything, please do. Keep it by your side at all times." She finished, Shikamaru examining the scroll before putting it into his vest pocket. Sakura slipping it into her inner cloak pocket while Neji concealed it in his hand. "Leave as soon as possible. I prefer that you tell no one of your mission details, if anyone questions, simply say that you're on routine assignment."

The newly formed team nodded with understanding, heading outside of the Hokage's office.

Sakura looked toward her team mates, "I'll just need to gather some medical supplies and some other things, and then I'll be ready."

"We'll just go pack too. Lets meet by the gate before dusk." Shikamaru nodded off to Sakura and they parted.

* * *

As Sakura packed, she ran a finger across the top of a frame, the frame holding the seemingly recent, but that was all a phantasm. That youthful free smile that was spread on Naruto and her own face hadn't been seen on either of them for some time. As for Sasuke, the displeased visage that adorned him in the center was from what she could tell, the last time he was ever really innocent, to be bothered by such a petty thing as a team photograph. The utter sense of any emotion was most likely foreign to him now. Unless it was hate.

Her preparation was proficiently quick; she stepped out of her small apartment, locking the door. Not realizing that she wouldn't be unlocking it for quite some time. The three members of the newly methodized team met at the gate, Sakura set out with them without bidding anyone a farewell, aware of the secrecy of the mission and knowing how Naruto would have reacted. It was a decision that she later came to regret profusely.

Thought they were coherent of their task and limitations, what they didn't know, was of the future of the mission. Which they later learned would certainly come to take the mission in a different direction, for the last thing Sakura would have expected to happen, would.


	2. Ch 1 Caught Healing Wounds

**This is the revised edition.**

"**In a place where despite the frigid air, memories and feelings of the past would unexpectedly thaw."**

* * *

Sakura pulled the edge of her deep green cloak tighter to her neck as her feet moved on the path in the snow of which they had trudged through for the entirety of the day as the entered the uninhabited lands of which where the icy crossways between Konoha and what had been discovered by ANBU to be the Sound. Neji and Shikamaru lumbered close behind.

"Sakura-san," Neji sped up to talk with her, "Its getting dark, we should find camp ground."

She slowed her footfall before hesitantly agreeing, "Yea, I guess you're right, I just hoped that we would have made it into the sound before dark. It's getting uncomfortably cold out." Though she admit ably was a warm weather person, the gelid air skimmed any longing thoughts of trailing her once tangible teammate.

"We'll be able to make it to the village by early noon if we leave in the morning. There's no use now in continuing though. The weather is just going to make it more difficult to travel. We can use our chakra to keep warm. Setting up a fire would be too easy to set ourselves up as a target." Shikamaru had it planned out as usual.

"Neji, you still need me to heal your arm right?" Sakura turned her eyes over to him.

Neji's arm was concealed beneath his cloak. He had cracked the bone when a group of bandits pulled a surprise attack maybe an hour earlier. Neji's stubbornness caused the healing to have been placed on hold until they had reached their next stop, already being off track because of the skirmish. "Yeah." His breath brought imagery to his heaved word in the form of erupting clouds, fading after a small moment.

She nodded, "It will only take a moment after we settle."

They found a decently sized patch of which was relatively snow free because of the strong branches of the surrounding trees. Set up only took them ten minutes, their three sleeping bags arranged neatly before Sakura began healing Neji's arm, the task not taking more than one minute.

Shikamaru spoke while taking his pack off and settling it beside his sleeping bag, "We need to watch our chakra levels. I suggest we go one at a time and keep the others warm, that way when we switch the person before can rest. Then in the morning, rather than all of us being a little depleted, there will only be one."

Sakura nodded in agreement.

Neji slipped into his navy sleeping bag, before speaking "Besides, we should take turns keeping an eye out. Maybe I should go first?"

"No, it's ok, I'll go first. I'm not really tired yet. Besides, you should rest." Sakura utilized her sleeping bag so that it would cover her knees as she sat between her temporary team mates.

"Ok, just wake me up around 12, or just when you start to feel tired." Neji settled down, facing away from her.

"Whoever is last to go will be able to rest in the morning while the other two plan and prepare." Shikamaru commented as her settled face up into his sleeping bag.

Sakura nodded as she rested one hand over each of them, her chakra flowing lightly at a steady rate, keeping then warm. "Do you think that he'll still be there in the morning?"

Shikamaru looked toward Neji, who was already starting to drift off, "The truth is that he may not be. But, we should be able to follow his trail, especially with this snow."

She sighed, expecting the answer, but still not pleased with it, "I feel like Naruto-kun should be here."

"Hm!" he let out a small laugh accompanied by a grin, "Maybe, but the confrontation that would probably happen between the two of them would probably make things more difficult."

"I guess you're right," she smiled, her chakra still strong.

"You know," he thought, looking up to the wintering sky, "You should start to worry more about yourself."

"Pardon?" she tilted her head lightly.

"You take care of healing everyone with the exception of yourself. It's not my business, but you need to be healed to. We can all see your hurt."

She forced a smile to avoid the acknowledgement, "Get some sleep. We just have to trust that we'll find him."

"Yep." He sighed as he closed his eyes preparing to fall fully asleep.

Once they had drifted off, Sakura relaxed her chakra slightly, wanting to conserve what she could. She sat there for about an hour, ruminating over what Shikamaru had apprised to her prior to nodding off. She had thought that she hid her pain relatively well. She still met up with everyone on get togethers, laughed at Naruto and Sai's quarrels and contentions. She rolled her eyes playfully or sometimes even exaggeratingly repulsed Naruto's constant quests for her to go on a date with him. She thought she had disguised her pain and worry, but perhaps the eyes never really can hind internal wounds. Her concentration digressed to Neji and Shikamaru's placid slow breathing , no sound beyond the nights hum to be heard. That was, until there was sound of movement to the left of her in the woods. Her head shot up to the direction of the sound, looking through her minimal vision of the night and seeing nothing. She held her breath when another crack echoed into her ears.

She abruptly halted her flow of chakra, looking over to Neji and gently shaking his shoulder, "Neji-kun," she could feel the depleted levels of the potent energy raking at her muscles as the moved.

He awoke within a second, "What's wrong?" He could already tell from her expression something wasn't right.

"I heard something over to the left of the woods, can you see anything?"

His eyes paled to white while the veins surrounding them constricted, he scanned the area, "I can't see any sign of chakra anywhere." He scanned over once more as his ears perked, "But, I hear something too."

Sakura turned to Shikamaru without hesitation, nudging him as she had Neji, "Shikamaru-kun, wake up."

He turned over and leaned on his elbows, "What's going on?"

"There's something out there." Neji stood, soon followed by Sakura and Shikamaru.

"Should we split up and go look?"

"Splitting up might not be such a great idea." Shikamaru scratched his head groggily.

"We can all sense one another's chakra, if we just search the proximity then we should be able to know if the other is in trouble." Neji's byakugan retracted.

Shaking his head, Shikamaru spoke, "If you can't see any chakra then that means either a) it's nothing to worry about, or b) it's something to seriously worry about; or rather, someone, someone with an ability to mask their chakra." He paused in thought "This could mean that this is Sas-"

"-he's past this area already, we know that. Why would he back track?" Sakura hushed her voice.

"Maybe he noticed us." Neji responded, shifting to Shikamaru's side.

Another sound came from the opposite direction, "Listen," Sakura started, "I'd rather go look than not. And if the sound is coming from more than one direction, then we might as well split."

Shikamaru crossed his arms and sighed, "I'd rather not span out all over, your chakra levels are still decent, right?"

"Yes." She lied. She wasn't the weak girl she used to be.

"Neji, you're alright?"

"I am. My energy is a bit low, but I'm fine." He nodded toward Shikamaru through the dense night.

"Ok, I'm low on energy, so Neji and I will team up and head north. Sakura, if you feel alright then head north east. Let's agree not to travel far. I don't want any incidents happening tonight. If it's just bandits then we'll be fine, but we don't know." Shikamaru headed north, Neji soon at his side. "Meet back here within forty five minutes."

"Gotcha." Sakura whispered before slipping on her black gloves and heading north-west. Her foot-fall was near silent as she agilely made way through the dark and toward the sound, until any movement stopped for five minutes. She panned her field of vision, seeing no movement, hearing no movement. Her eyes shifted to the near branches, but nothing was visible. She held her breath, assuming that whoever had been out there was aware of her presence, and was acting accordingly to try and shake her off. That wouldn't work with her though.

So she had thought. A hand pulled out from behind her and gripped over her mouth, the other arm swung around her waist, pulling her arms tight to her sides. She struggled, having no excess room to move as the assailant dragged her through the snow of which was seeping into her boots. Realizing there was no chance of her being released with the struggle tactic, she hushed her movement enough for the attacker to drag her without a great deal of struggle. The lack of precaution on the assailant's part told her that he couldn't be one with much brain, and should be relatively easy to overcome. With a quick bend of her knees and the assumption that her assailant would squeeze tightly in response to her sudden movement, she concentrated a decent level of chakra into her feet and slammed them into the snow blanketed ground.

She heard a grunt released from behind her as they stumbled, the attackers balance thrown off enough to crash into the snow with her on top. She rolled off, quickly rising to her feet and taking proper stance, kunai quickly pulled out into one hand, chakra loading in the other. The assailant rose and she pushed forward, her fist cutting through the black night, ready to close in on him. But, something went wrong. The punch passed through the darkness without hitting a thing, throwing Sakura in the direction of her uninterrupted punch. She hated the law of inertia. She fell to the ground, hearing two pairs of feet shuffling in the snow. Before she had near a second of chance to stand, she felt the air pressure around her change with the presence of a leg on either side of her; an arm extended and struck the side of her neck. Everything faded as she dizzied, the echoing crunch of boots in the snow around her only lasting momentarily.

* * *

**The next chapter is more angsty I swear. Afterall how can one not be angsty with the raven haired, sable eyed nukenin pressing uncomfortably close to you?**

**Ok, ok, that's not the point of this here message. _Reviews_ please! I want to know how the newer version is going, though so far only minor tweaks have been implemented, the next chapter is going to be more reconstructed since that's where I wanted to reconstruct in the first place. Just had to get the prior chapters to harmoniously coincide with that whole new concept.**

**Tips and critique are always welcomed, just dont make me bawl my eyes out. **


	3. Ch 2 Footprints in the Snow

**-"She was in front of him, the boy that had given her so much pain. But despite that, she couldn't just 'walk' away with the option to at least, try and get him to come to his senses. After all, she could at least be empathetic to his actions. He had had his fair share of pain too."-**

* * *

Shikamaru and Neji had noticed their comrade's struggle; they jetted over to her direction, the prints of shoes in the ground, but only in the concealed area. They led nowhere.

"Damn-it," the Hyuga's byakugan was blazing in his eyes, searching the area, "I can't see _anything_."

Shikamaru didn't respond, instead studying the track marks. There had been two other's besides Sakura. "This isn't good." He finally stated more to himself than Neji who was still scanning.

"How can they not be visible?"

Shikamaru's head shook, his hands being pulled to his sides, fanning out his cloak, "I don't know."

Neji glanced towards him, "We should pick up and try to find her."

"I would agree, but, there are no tracks" He scaled the overhead, "…There isn't a branch missing snow." His eyes diverted back to the tracks, "It's as though no one was here, or they were, and then just…evaporated." Neji followed Shikamaru's eyes to the tracks, watching as he leaned down to closely examine what he could of them in the night, "The pattern of the shoes, what do they look like to you?"

Neji crouched down beside him, the byakugan fading as he studied the foreign print, "…The sound."

Shikamaru thought through the situation at hand. The prints _did_ resemble that of the Sound's, but with a slight variation, the variation of the _Hidden_ Sound. There were limited numbers of traveling hidden sound nin. Unless they tracks belonged to the only hidden sound nin they were aware of, "…Team Hebi."

* * *

Sakura's head ached; a feeling of blood rushing through her system blew white clouds of dizziness into her vision as she sat up, realizing that she had been laying in the snow. She panned her surroundings, realizing that she wasn't in the same part of the woods anymore. Until her eyes caught hold of a figure behind a tree. "Who are you?" her voice was stern and confident, despite her addled insides.

He peaked out behind the tree, a water canister swaying by his side as glimpses of his hooded silvery hair turned to her, "She's up you know."

She stood confused, he was calling out to someone else, and then she remembered there being more than one set of footsteps before she was knocked out. She felt a strong chakra suddenly come up behind her, shocking her senses.

"I know." _That voice…_ her eyes widened with the heat of his breath so close, _how is he so fast?_

She spun around; the damp clusters of snow that had stuck to her cloak whirled off of her as she reached the familiar tenebrous eyes behind her. His hood was down, the same raven hair framing his now leaner face.

"Sakura-ka," he asked, even though stating it.

Her eyes slid to the other nin, walked closer as he pulled his hood down, revealing pale eyes, a few shades more blue than his hair. "So you _do _know her, huh?"

"She's a part of my past." His easily expressed explanation stung her ephemerally.

"Why did you-?" She backed up a step, her stance hardening.

"-That, would be his fault." Sasuke took his stony eyes off of her and glared toward the other nin.

He snickered almost caustically, "_You,_ are the one who wanted to recruit a 'med-nin'." His arms crossed underneath the navy gray cloak draped over his shoulders, Sasuke shared the same kind. "All I did was go out and find you one. A friend of mine from 'out of town' sent me a message saying he saw a girl heal a woman who had been stabbed back in the outskirts of the Fire Country in less than a minute." Sakura thought back to the first day on the mission when they had passed through a desolate town, a woman had been attacked by a criminal. "So what do I do? Go find her. And what do you do? Get pissed." Sasuke snarled slightly, "She could probably heal Karin in a flash. You and she should thank me really."

"For what? Leading someone from Konoha…" he reached to her cloak collar, where the blue fabric of the hiat-te was sticking out, yanking it to show the other figure, "right to us?"

The pallid shinobi's smirk of achievement slid off his visage, "…Oh…Well how was I supposed to know?!"

With a heavy annoyance toward his careless handling of her steadily increasing, Sakura pushed Sasuke's arm from her neck allowing a faint amount of chakra to thrust it further, pulling the Konoha symbol loose and to the ground. She reached for it out of reflex, only to be stopped by Sasuke's hand, springing out and snatching her wrist. The action looked effortless to Sasuke, but tugged Sakura strongly enough to cause her to stumble."Suigetsu," Sasuke looked off into the distance as if sensing something, familiar with their chakra, Sakura sensed them too. "Grab one of the ropes in my pack and charge it with chakra."

Sakura pulled her arm toward her, trying to break free of him though having no luck. "Let. Go." She was as stern as she could be when looking into his powerful eyes.

"Don't even bother fighting." He wasn't even looking at her when he sent an acute pulse of the electricity he had mastered from the Chidori through her wrist. The reaction with her own natural electricity caused her knees to buckle. Her sense of touch was wickedly cruel and imbalanced, immobilizing her as Sasuke dropped her hand, the lack of structure leaving her stunned body to fall on its front. To Sasuke's well hidden surprise, she started to push up, her right hip on the ground with her thin legs fanned out loosely slowly held more weight as she extended her arm muscles.

She panted as a fiery expression manipulated the muscles in her face to a bitter glare, looking toward her former teammate with intense pain. Pain that he had left, pain that he had acted so disconnected to either her or Naruto, like they'd never met and protected one another, pain that he had dared to thrash her around like she would have let him years back, pain that she had even thought that she had _liked_ him back then, and the most potent, pain that she had _ever_, met him. She silently focused on her left leg, preparing it with chakra while simultaneously going about the steady healing of the rest of her split-ended nerves. His scorn narrowed onto her eyes, for once letting himself become distracted by her chartreuse eyes.

Suigetsu simply stopped in the snow a couple of yards away, leaning on one leg for the presumed show that was about to go down. And he was right; Sakura shifted her foot so it dipped into the snow right before she put her best aim into the power packed kick. The snow thrust foreword, low in the air but eye level to the nukenin that it had been flung at. She made a decent shot too, the peripheral masses of snow grazed his cheek before his swift dance-like movement completely relocated him behind her ankles. Yet to her slight dissatisfaction, he showed no emotion, barely flinched.

Brushing away the cluster of wet beads that were residual from the snowy offence, he signaled to Suigetsu, who promptly tossed the rope that radiated chakra. His knee came down lightly on the curve of her back as his steps took him close enough. This pushed the drained med-nin back to the ground with a wince. Her hands being exposed, he collected them, wrapping a careful hand over them as the other coiled around the back of her neck; sweeping away the strands of pink hair that was deepened in tone with the moisture before speaking, "if you think what I did before hurt, then I suggest you do as I say. I might not be so gentile next time. Besides, I'm as aware as you are of the approaching chunnin."

"Is _that _what that chakra is…I can barely feel it."Suigetsu looked at Sasuke's firm grip on her neck, "_Geez_ Sasuke," Suigetsu knelt down next to him, resting one knee in the snow as Sasuke released her neck and began tying the rope. "Don't be so rough to such a pretty girl." His first two fingers curled before reaching out and skimming the strands of hair cascading over her cold cheeks.

Sakura hesitated, taking a short breath before nipping at his hand with any energy she had left. It was as though the electricity Sasuke had pulsed through her worked on beating down it's host even after healing it. She would need more chakra in order to be able to self recover right then and there.

"Don't touch her." She was surprised at his remark of defense, though spoken in a dull tone.

The livid nin brushed the warning off and stood, "We'll, what are you going to do with her now? Since you're apparently not satisfied." scratching his head as Sasuke helped Sakura to find her footing, her knees were like those of a toddler, weak and hard to control. Speaking again before Sasuke had time to think and answer Suigetsu smirked, "We should just make it look like a bunch of bandits got to her. Erase her memory of us or something."

She crumpled her pastel brows, "You think I couldn't take on a couple of worthless bandits! I'm not some helpless gennin, I'm a chunnin level medical nin."

"No," Sasuke finally responded, glancing back to the woods with lustrously rouge eyes, "Who are you traveling with?"

She faltered, "N-…Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Neji."

He was inwardly confounded that Naruto wasn't placed on such a mission. He swiped the curiosity from his mind, "Tell them," looking at her impassively while pulling the collar of her cloak so she was fully encountering his eyes as they faded back to their primordial hue, "to go back to Konoha. It's no use tracking me. If they get in my way, I _will_ kill them." She felt a vile sickness to the words he so easily spoke, "That applies to _you_ as well."

Was he leaving her name for last out of spite? Or because he thought so little of her that she wouldn't even be an obstacle…

"Hey, now I'm really starting to feel something coming, we need to hurry up man. Unless you want to fight 'em, which is fine with me too." Suigetsu shrugged before pulling the water canister to his lips.

Sakura reflected back on the surreal beginning of the whole scene as she pulled pieces of the encounter together…

"_She could probably heal Karin in a flash. You and she should thank me really."_

"_She could probably heal Karin –"_

Her training as a med-nin was to heal the injured, whether or not she liked them or didn't like them, knew them or didn't know them. It was her duty to take care of them, and especially when her energy was low, she had a inane yet laudable urge to heal who she could before she was out of it completely. It was then that she advanced her habitual reflexes to a more lucid place. Her mind raced as she realized that he was _really_ standing in front of her. She was in front of _him_, the boy that had given her so much pain. But despite that, she couldn't just 'walk' away with the option to at least, try and get him to come to his senses. After all, she could at least be empathetic to his actions. He had had his fair share of pain too.

"I can help you. Who was hurt?" she spread her feet a bit, trying to balance, though slightly aware that Sasuke's stabilizing hand was what was holding her up.

"Our other team member" _So he's forming a team now…_She apprehended, "Karin, she's been poisoned or something." Suigetsu raised a brow at her interest as he leaked the information carelessly. "The vile of one of Orochimaru's experiments broke and cut her arm when we went to first get her and let the prisoners out."

"Suigetsu…" Sasuke's eyes glided to the shinobi; delivering prudence.

She paused, not really able to think straight, it was as though the neurons in her brain were sporadically igniting one another in a blurred haze "…I'll help you."

Sasuke's grip tightened as she limbered slightly to the side, "we can find a med-nin elsewhere."

She smirked with her staggered form, "Do you know how difficult it is to remove poison. It's a tedious and slow process that has to be done by one with proficiency and only after thorough training."

Sasuke hesitated, realizing that he would otherwise have to travel in order to find a med-nin advanced enough to perform an integral procedure. Karin might not have had that sort of time. "How would you expect your team to accept such abandonment?"

"I wouldn't be abandoning them Sasuke-kun," it was getting slightly easier to speak as she tapped into her chakra reserves she had built-up for just the kind of position she was in. "Abandoning is leaving with little word and disregard of the effect on people." She noted the lack of reaction in his expression, "I'll just go back, and I'll tell them that I'm going to help you. Not _leave_ Konoha, just…help you."

"How am I to trust you to tell them that? You might just announce that you're joining with me to leak information back to the Leaf." He bore into her.

"Then go with me, that way you can hear every work that I say. You're the one that has a poisoned teammate."

Suigetsu took a step back and watched their interaction. Sasuke contemplated to himself for a moment before nodding and untying her constrained wrists. "Two things, one, you are with us to heal Karin. It by no means constitutes you as a member. Two-You don't try and make me return to Konoha."

She nodded lightly after taking in his conditions, "Let's hurry, if she's poisoned its best to remove it as quickly as possible. They headed in the direction of Shikamaru and Neji's chakra, Sakura trailing behind Sasuke, Suigetsu behind her. Sasuke observed that Sakura had made a speedy recovery from the electrical course of chakra that he had induced to her only ten minutes prior. Perhaps she had some worthy skills after all.

* * *

**Rate please! I'd love to know my reader's opinions, suggestions or questions (of which the answers will be posted on my Homepage). They make me want to write.**

**Renovating the story is taking a while. I only had one more chapter after this one of the old version, but it was around 4000 words while this is 2500. So it might be a couple of days. This renovation is just more what I wanted, at first I had other ideas, but I've worked the most of it out. **

**I'll be up late tonight haha**

**Oh, and do you (anyone) think that it's Cannon enough? I'm trying, but any suggestion would help. Thank you.**


	4. Ch 3 Tying the Knot

**-Why is it that when people tie knots, they have such an urge to pull until it gives no more, only to then realize that they'll never be able to untie the knots around them. Just because of curiosity.-**

**PS- The angst is'a risin'!**

* * *

"I'm sensing chakra." Neji whittled through the snow in the strong approaching presence.

Shikamaru let out a tired breath that created a momentary cumulus cloud before him. They had been searching all over the general area, slowly fanning out further, "How far would you say?"

"Maybe 350 meters." He stopped his tracks as a hand slowly unlatched a kunai from his holster, "It's strong."

"I was going to say," Shikamaru paused alongside his teammate. "Even at that distance, I can feel it."

* * *

They walked in silence for a while, the crunch and cracks of the snow beneath their feet the only sounds responding to one another.

_crunch, crunch, slish, crunch-crack,…crunch…shlunch…_

The silence was starting to be intolerable for the somewhat nervous Chunnin. Her mind was running over what exactly to say to them with a tactical approach. Thinking wildly would never get anything done. That was what she had learned from Tsunade, relax, and work logically and methodically. It wasn't working though; she couldn't take the snow's cry beneath her feet.

"Sasuke-kun," she looked up from the grey appearing snow and through the veil of darkness that her eyes had become accustomed to.

"Hn." He acknowledged the calling of his name.

She hesitated, staring at his ashen hair, pitch black with the cover of the night, "How come there weren't any tracks in the snow before?"

"Curiosity killed the cat." Suigetsu huffed behind her.

Sakura spoke over her shoulder feeling comfortable enough to let out a decent comeback, "Next time I see a cat, I'll be sure to remind them."As she turned back, Sasuke had slowed his pace enough to see an angled view of his cheek; she thought for a moment that she might have seen the tiniest of smirks, though it must have only been her imagination.

The white-headed Mist-nin behind her scoffed a bit, "Smart-ass."

"It's a Genjutsu." Sasuke replied, simply and short, she hadn't expected more from him.

..."*"…"*"…"*"…"*"…

"I think that's them." She looked ahead and announced after a few more moments of trudging through the snow.

As they approached, Sakura prepared, rethinking what she was doing, whether she should go with him or not. He was technically an S-rank criminal, but that was just a label placed on him for trying to avenge his family. He was still Sasuke-kun to her. She just couldn't see the criminal in him. True, he had left Konoha to join with one of the sickest S-ranked nin out there, but he _had_ killed Orochimaru. That at least said something.

"Sakura!" Neji jogged in the snow, Shikamaru close behind. Their faces grew concerned and almost scornful as they neared.

"I'm fine," she spoke out as she approached them, her limbs still feeling rather numb. Sasuke and Suigetsu halted their promenade behind her, "I need to talk with you guys."

Shikamaru's furrowed brows glanced back to Sasuke and the other nin, "Whose he?"

"Is he coming back?" Neji joined in the Q&A, a small look of hope on his normally somewhat hard face.

She knew he meant Suigetsu, "Sasuke's formed a team. He's one of the members, one of the other members is poisoned." She could tell Neji already knew the answer to his question, but she answered despite it, "He's not, coming back yet." She had to add the 'yet'. Just for her own comfort.

"What's going on?" The analytical Chunnin pressed the information out of her, confused by the situation.

A lump of snow fell to the ground from a nearby branch, reminding Sakura of the swelling lump in her own throat, "I'm going to go heal her. But, you have to stop following him."

"Sakura," Shikamaru warned.

"Trust me okay? I can take care of myself. I can't just let someone whose injured be, I'm a medical nin." She knew that the backlight in her viridian eyes showed enough to let Shikamaru know that she was going for more than just her duties as a medical nin.

He looked to Neji for a reaction, who was staring intently at the proud standing Uchiha. His teammate's eyes shifted to him as he caught onto his questioning eyes. As the team leader, Shikamaru was the one who was obliged to have the last word but, he didn't know what to do, and judging by Neji's equally confused eyes, he turned his nose to the ground as he thought. _This is beyond troublesome…_

"We can't let you go with them." He started, "it would be against the mission, and it would jeopardize your safety."

She pleaded with her eyes, unseen to Sasuke but in direct view of her comrade, "Every mission puts the shinobi in danger Shika-kun. I know that you're the squad commander, but in the end it is my choice."

His concerned face looked into her pleading eyes before directing at Sasuke, "You," Sasuke connected eyes, "If you hurt her, I know a fairly large amount of people who will more than _kill_ you. Including the two of us."

Neji nodded, crossing his arms "Of course first dibs would be to Naruto," Sasuke's lips tightened, Sakura feeling a pain of guilt serge through her as she thought of her best male friend. What if he thought she had left him, just like Sasuke? What if he blamed it all on himself? He overworked himself when he did that. She wouldn't be there to heal him.

"As long as everyone sticks to their word, nothing is going to happen to her." He calmly stated. Sakura felt a threat lingering in-between the lines of what he responded with.

She heard Suigetsu shift his weight in the snow, "You think we could go now? I mean, on top of the fact that it's kind of cold out here, we have a teammate dying."

Sakura turned her head slightly before stepping back in unison with her new associates, "Tell Naruto," she backtracked in the snow, looking at both of them, "Tell him that I'll be back, and that he means a lot to me." She saw Neji nod with a smile, though it was only masking lack of confidence in the whole situation. What she didn't see though was the solid glance back that Sasuke had delivered. "And tell Ino-pig that she better hurry up and make her move on you Shika-kun!" She wanted to leave off as light-heartedly as possible, though turning before seeing Shikamaru's reaction, only hearing a chuckle as she crunched through the snow once again.

* * *

They had reached Hebi's hideout, a cave toward the inner parts of The Sound, where it had gotten pleasantly more tepid. Sasuke had been somewhat apprehensive about her seeing exactly how to get there, but moved forward anyway. The life of a valued teammate on the line.

Once there, she met Juugo, a larger guy who was quite kind and welcoming to her. Which, she noted brought a strange expression to Sasuke's face, like he had expected Juugo to hate her. Then there was Karin, who wasn't in much of a state to meet considering that the poison had rendered her without her conscious. Sakura spent an hour lulling the poison from the red-head's unconscious body, causing herself to be weary by the end of the process. Suigetsu had showed her where she could rest for the night. Near her was Sasuke, she assumed he was there simply to keep an eye on her, though she knew that with such a day, she would be asleep for quite a while.

* * *

She had been right, the next time she woke, a mid-late morning resembling light shone through her closed lids. She was accustomed to waking at dawn on mission schedules; though admit ably she had needed the rest. When the presence of a discussion between the team named after serpents commenced, she left her lids sealed to listen without notice.

"See, what did I tell you, she healed her in friggen' record time!" she heard Suigetsu's voice in a hushed exclaim.

"I've never seen a med-nin work so efficiently and thoroughly. And I've seen my fair share." Juugo's voice joined in. She smiled inwardly at their praise.

"She's not that great. Any med-nin can do that sort of stuff eventually." The inward smile turned to a bitter frown hearing the presumed Sound kunoichi 'Karin' to be finally awake.

"You should be more grateful. She saved your life." This was slightly shocking to Sakura, it sounded like he was almost defending her, "Besides, Juugo is right. There aren't many med-nin out there that work as well as she did. The quicker the poison is removed, the less time it has to do damage, so consider yourself lucky Suigetsu found her." Now he sounded grateful that he had found her. Maybe she was still asleep and dreaming?

"You think we can keep her?" Suigetsu piped up.

"She's not a dog or something." Juugo sounded to be laughing lightly.

"Aw, common Sasuke, think of how useful it would be to have one of the best med-nin out there," Suigetsu had started persuading again, "besides, you have to admit that it'll be hard to find a med-nin of that level willing to help out criminals and weirdo's."

"-And a highly skilled kunoichi." Sakura was starting to dislike this Karin very much.

Though agreeing with Suigetsu when responding, "That would only be after Sakura got put in the team, in which case we wouldn't need to attract any med-nin."

A few muffled punches and some yelping took place before Sasuke's voice rang in the cave, "Everyone shut up!" they quickly did, leaving the resilient sound reverberating in the hole in the rock. The silent reverberations held for a moment longer until he spoke again, "Sakura, I know you're up."

She opened her eyes, red handed though not guilty. Sitting up to see all of them seated around the hide-out, looking toward her. "How are you feeling?" she directed her gaze to Karin, sitting closely to Sasuke.

She huffed, "Fine."

Sasuke elbowed her, resulting in a battle of the eyes between the two, Sasuke of course victorious, "…Thank you." She forced out.

"No problem, it's my duty." Sakura sat up watching as Sasuke seemed to scan her over once, head to toe.

She looked back at him with a feeling of flighty air in her stomach, but not shy to align eyes, though slightly amused when Karin scowled in her peripheral vision, "Sasuke-kuuun," she scooted close to him as she spoke, his eyes breaking from Sakura. "What's today's plan?"

"We're heading to a hideout off to the west, I want to stock up on some things from there. Then we're going to spit up," He turned to Suigetsu, "You're to go to the outskirts of the village while Juugo, I want you to go with him, Karin," she smiled, Sakura snickered to herself, _just like when I was young around Sasuke-kun…good thing I grew up. "_Head into the village and gather what information you can of Akatsuki or anything pertaining Itachi."

He stood, walking over to Sakura motioning for her to rise. She did willingly, though soon uncomfortably woozy, still worn from her undertakings of the night before. Sasuke's enticing eyes sweeping over her helped that condition very little.

"You're to come with me."

"Hey wait a second, she should go with Juugo and Suigetsu, I'll be of more help to you!" Karin stood complaining, "If I see chakra then I can alert you, what good will she do?"

"I'll have you know that I'm a skilled Kunoichi, trained under a legendary Sannin, so if you want to pretend to everyone else that you're better than me, that's fine. Just realize the truth yourself." Sakura stepped forward with enmity.

"Oooh, cat fight!" Suigetsu, whose back had been facing Sakura until he stretched an arm back to watch the show with impish eyes, sang with excitement. Juugo rest his chin on his large palm supported by the knee of which his elbow was positioned.

Karin's scowl boiled to a more concentrated grimace, "You think you're such a hot shot; don't you! If you're so great, how come Sasuke had no trouble passing you and leaving Konohagure?!"

Sakura's eyes widened at the information that she had thought was between her and Sasuke, pupil shrinking almost to the size of her confidence inside. How_ does she know about that…_

"Karin! " Sasuke's was stern and admonishing, his shoulder came in soft contact with Sakura's almost like a Sasuke-version of 'comfort'. "She's coming with me because I don't need three combing one area and Karin, the fact that you can sense chakra is why I only need _you_ to go into the town and scope out if any Akatsuki are there."

She frowned though remained silent as did everyone else, noticing the anger in Sasuke's impatient tone.

"Well, then….let's go already. It's late as it is." Suigetsu stood and grabbed what must have been his pack, waiting for Sasuke to head to the exit, Sakura following behind him with Juugo Suigetsu and Karin close behind after they picked up their things. The whole time they made way to the west, Sakura was connecting any possible way that Karin knew such intimate details of Sasuke's leaving Konoha. _I guess, he's known her for a while…_

* * *

As they approached a village, Sakura noticed the symbols for 'abandoned' painted over the original village sign. The silence that erupted from such a chaotic looking mess of buildings was eerie as she trailed close behind Sasuke.

"This is a hideout?" Suigetsu spoke as they entered a building, rubble furnishing it's insides.

"It was used by the Uchiha back in the day," Sasuke explained as they made way down a long hallway, "Everyone fan out and gather up things that we may need. Meet back by this door in thirty minutes."

They nodded and began to disperse in different directions, Sasuke grabbed Sakura's wrist from under her beige and green striped cloak when she had slowly turned, her spine tingled erratically, "You stay with me. We need to find you a change of clothes. You look too much like a leaf kunoichi."

He opened the door before letting her wrist go, she walked in with her chin over her shoulder, "Sasuke-kun, I _am_ a leaf kunoichi."

He sighed looking ahead before retorting, "If you're going to travel with us, then you can't show that." She looked at him intently confused,

"_you are with us to heal Karin. It by no means constitutes you as a member."_

_But….'if you're going to travel with us'….?...does that mean that he…._"Travel with you?" _is accepting me to his team?_

He didn't respond, instead walking forward into the room, Sakura noticed a cat like old lady sitting like a doughy pretzel on a mat in the back of the room, "Sasuke-chan," she started, a few more than a few cats curling behind her back, "My my, I haven't seen you for so long."

Sasuke knelt on one knee and bowed his head, "I'm here to repay my debts to you."

She wiggled her nose a little, stroking one of the felines next to her, "Off to defeat Itachi?" she waited for his nod, "I just can't believe how everything has turned out. You two were so close when you were younger."

Sakura shifted uncomfortably at the topic, feeling out of place and concerned for Sasuke at the same time. She raised her well kept brows slightly when the Elder Cat turned her eyes to her, despite having them closed.

"Well, who is this?" her tone was sweet, accented with a small smile.

Sasuke unraveled a pouch holding money, "Haruno Sakura, she's the medical-nin in my platoon." _Now he's already referring to me as being on the team?_ She looked toward the back of his head with wonder.

"Such a pretty name, and it fits her perfectly." She commented, still gazing closed eyes on her.

She smiled lightly and loosely crossed her arms, only blushing when Sasuke turned his head over his shoulder and glanced at her up and down before turning back to his affairs, "Is there something that she could change into, something that would fit more in the Sound?"

The baa-san nodded, "Sure, Kaiyo-chan!," A girl their age with long pale blond hair stepped out from behind a curtain after a moment, "Get this girl some clothes that would be suitable for around here."

"Of course Elder Cat," She nodded to the baa-san and smiled at Sakura briefly before passing back through the curtain, a cat trailing her.

She came back after a few moment, Sasuke finishing the payment of his 'debts', and passed some folded clothes to him. He stood; she pulled on his shoulder to bring him closer, whispering something in his ear before accepting a small remark of gratitude and recoiling back to the room behind the curtain. Another cat trailed her in.

Sasuke rubbed his thumb on the clothing as he held it before looking up, "We'll just be gathering some weapons and medicine before leaving. Thank you Elder cat." He bowed his head, Sakura following in suit before they walked out of the room, one cat running up to the door with them, staring at Sasuke as he held the door for it with a notably softer face, but the cat simply blinked and turned back to the old lady.

The next door he pushed ajar was down a different hallway, Sakura ducking to avoid being hit in the head with the many wires hanging limp from the ceiling. "Change in here."

Her nod was short, receiving the cluster of clothes as she stepped into the colder; and damper room. She looked back at the door as he closed it, only momentarily before letting the clothes unfold. The first layer was a pair of black shorts that were similar to her own, only reaching her upper thigh. The black tank top to match had thick straps, it fit like a glove much to her surprise. The long top shirt was cloud white, a thin silky wine cord crossed in the front like a corset to the hem of the soft fabric which extended just past her hips.

Though difficult to get on, she liked the cloths. They made her feel edgy, more womanly and feminine with the string only lacing to her lower chest, revealing more than her last ensemble. The black shirt poked through the space in-between the two sides of soft white cloth, the burgundy string holding their distance.

-_A/N- picture link in A/N at the end.-_

She collected her other cloths, putting on the pair of nin sandals that was with the new look. Her curiosity combined with the hesitance to face Sasuke in a lower coverage garb influenced her decision to look around the room. It was as the rest of the building, filled with miscellaneous items that looked old and forgotten. Her hand scaled over a dusty wood dresser, stopping as she caught sight of a photograph. It looked to be of Sasuke's mother and father; she picked it up, smiling at the kindness on their faces, though saddened for him. They looked so in-love.

Suddenly, she felt a warm hand slither around her bare arm. Startled, she gasped and turned around; the framed photograph fell over onto the dresser with a thunk.

"Sasuke-kun!" her voice was low and shaken as she faced the feline sable eyes that had snuck up on her in complete silence, "don't do that."

"What are you doing?" his ashen eyes were aligned with hers, moving with them as they darted from his eyes to his lips, which were ever so dangerously close.

She felt her back press against the dresser, "I-I was just looking around. I'm sorry."

He retracted a little, keeping his sights on her eyes for a moment, before they moved down. She felt numb from their invasive quest over her body, still backed up to the dresser."According to Kaiyo, these were my mother's." he reached out, taking a gentle hold of one of the strings that hung from the small bow that she tied. His hand came wickedly close to a particularly sensitive area of her chest, she felt herself pant lightly, holding her breath as punishment. "Except, I remember her tying it a little bit differently." He smirked slightly at her vibrant and axiomatic reactions when he had barely came in contact with her.

"How so?" she forced out slowly as to not heave from holding her breath.

"Sit up behind you." She looked back, realizing that the distance he had backed up was shrinking back into her. She did so, obediently despite the fact that she never normally listened to the commands of _any_ boy her age. She scolded herself repetitively as she felt a wave of goose-bumps peak across her skin like a sickly pleasurable chain reaction as his hand grazed her knee, reaching for a small red box behind her. He opened it pushing a few things around with his finger before pulling out a sort of clasp. It was the Uchiha emblem.

Resting it beside her hand, of which was curled over the edge of the dresser with a slight tension. He then proceeded to take hold of one of the strings and pulling on it, slowly at first, and then with more haste, though still gentle. As his hands impended to the roots of the burgundy cord to tie a double figure eight loop, she picked up the silver emblem, pulling her hands to her lap and looking past his hands to see it.

He parted one hand from the knot and lifted her jaw affably, "I can't see." He simply stated while holding his gaze on his self assigned task. She was hesitant to trust his seemingly affectionate actions. So she simply held the small clasp in her hands, until he reached for it. Letting him take it from the open palm that she purposefully lay in the seam where her two thighs met, scoping out his reactions. He glanced up at her evanescently through dark hair before clasping it over the knot made to hold it in place.

"Sasuke-kun," she started wanting to ask him something important. He stood straight, though still close. He was looking at the emblem dangling on the string and despite his stiff emotionless face, she could still see him remembering his mother, leaving her too guilty to say what she really had in mind. "This is how your mom wore it?"

He trailed the string a little longer as it settled from the movement before looking her in her viridian eyes, "Yeah." He said before turning his head to the door, "It sounds like they're heading back, we're done here." She hopped off the table when he had stepped far enough away.

She opened her mouth as he placed his wrist guard adorned hand on the knob, "I need to ask you something."

He stopped, the contact with his eyes being the only sign that he was acknowledging her request.

"Uhm, about what you said before," he looked at her plainly, as though he didn't really know what she was referring to, but she continued on as though he did despite it, "We're you saying that, I'm on your team?" he understood what she was referring to now, "Are you asking me to join your team?"

His hand tightened on the door as he starred down on it, away from her questioning eyes, "Sakura,-"

* * *

Sakura's outfit idea came from Samurai-PET on Deviant though I added the whole emblem clasp thing. It's a big part of the story.

**.com/art/Pendulous-Threads-55283755**

* * *

Okay, third chapie. They're getting longer so that's good I suppose, though I'd like to keep them around 3/4000 words long each. Longer than that and I'll be writing instead of doing homework and such….

**Not that I'm not doing that now…**

**I need (NEED) reviews!! I don't want to post if no one is reading…or saying what they like or don't like so I know how to improve my scripture. I'll wind up writing it all on my laptop and leaving it there. No use posting.**

**So what do you think? Are there any parts that are difficult to read or seem unstable to the rest of the story so far? I just know from experience that sometimes Sasusaku fans want like, pure fluffy-lemons and all that fruity stuff. But the angst that builds between then floods those scenes with so much more satisfaction and desire for more. So there haha.**


	5. Ch 4 Once a String, Always a String

**A/N- the link in the last chap didnt work, just type in Deviantart and then copy and paste the rest of the link that showed up on the last chap. I apologize.**

**-**** "A string can be tied into many different kinds of knots, no matter what though, when it's undone it's the same string"-**

* * *

"She WHAT?!" Naruto and Tsunade roared in unison.

"She said not to worry about her; she knows what she's doing." Neji stood next to Shikamaru in the Hokage's office expanding on the news they had just delivered. Naruto had already been in there when they had un-expectantly returned.

"What is that supposed to mean? How could she just go off with an S-rank criminal!?" Tsunade dunk her head into her palms, Naruto wincing at the way she referred to Sasuke, though equally angered.

"She said it was her duty as a med-nin to help the wounded. It was completely her choice." Shikamaru explained though Tsunade took no comfort and sighed heavily into her dismayed position.

"What about him, you saw him?" Naruto inquired with wide eyes.

Tsunade looked up to see the two of the three she had sent on the mission nod in response, "Did he look to be dangerous?"

"Well," Neji started, "He didn't appear aggressive, but I saw his chakra from at least 350 meters away. He's defiantly strong." This caused Tsunade to rest her head on her entwined hands, closing her eyes in upset.

"He was traveling with another shinobi from his team; he appeared to be of the mist I believe." Shikamaru added.

"Damn-it," Naruto fisted the desk, causing Tsunade to glare at him with disgust toward his rudeness. "Where were they heading."

"Naruto, he said that he would take care of her, only on the condition that we keep our distance from him." Neji knew his implications.

"She said she was just going to heal the one team member right?" Naruto watched as Neji reluctantly nodded, "so we can pick up searching for him when she returns, then she'll have inside information anyway."

"Maybe, but for now, he has her." Shikamaru remarked.

Tsunade pulled her entwined fingers closer together, "We need to get ANBU."

"What?," Naruto turned to her, "He wouldn't hurt her. I know he wouldn't. Me, he might try, but not her."

Shikamaru and Neji nodded, though with less confidence than Naruto. Tsunade's eyes darted from all of their reassuring faces before leaning back into the chair, thinking of Sasuke's requests, "For now, all efforts in searching for Uchiha Sasuke are on hold. But as soon as Sakura returns, they recommence." Naruto clenched his jaw at the idea of stopping all tracking; it was difficult enough to locate the Uchiha the first time around. Shikamaru and Neji both nodded, more at ease knowing that now Sasuke's conditions were met. "But until then, I want all of you and the other Chunnin level shinobi to join in as a team, Hitake Kakashi and Yamato will be the squad commanders," all of their brows raised, "your mission, is to track Haruno Sakura, and bring her back to Konoha."

* * *

She wasn't as puerile (childish) and exuberant as she had been the last time he had really been around her. Her eyes were still bright, but the sight behind them, was one of worry and age. She had matured a great deal in many aspects. Even then, standing relaxed inside the cold room of the old Uchiha hide-out; he could feel the level of skill she had with chakra control, something that he could use for his team. Her features also more detailed and fine, sculpted almost. But, there was more to her, something that he couldn't ignore.

No matter how much he pulled from the feeling, it only pulled him in more tightly.

So he hesitated, sinking into the familiar gaze she was gifting him, even if his face showed pure omission, "I need a med-nin on the team if I'm going to make my way to Itachi. So, yes, you're a part of my platoon."

Sakura looked at Sasuke, nonplussed, "I thought that would be one of the last things that you would want."

"You're highly skilled," _–and intensely magnetic- _"Suigetsu, Juugo, and Karin are not as developed in self healing as I am. Having a med-nin around when they get torn up in battle will be very useful." –_even if it risks my control-_

She pulled her lower lip in, thinking about Naruto, all of Konoha, "Sasuke-kun, I'm not sure-"

"-I need your help." He spoke more desperately and abruptly than he had wanted to with her.

His request caught her off guard, still apprehensive to his behavior. _Last time, with Orochimaru…he seemed so much colder…he really is still Sasuke-kun._ She wanted more than anything to well-up; for she had sworn to herself that he was changed, that he would be so different and hard to reach. But, she could see him. His stony eyes still had something satisfyingly familiar, something comforting and desirable. "….Okay." she said without thinking much, only able to see the moment of chance, lured by his almost affectionate behavior from before.

He nodded and opened the door, arriving at the meeting spot seconds before the rest of the platoon gathered in the spot, Karin being the first, directly followed by Suigetsu and Juugo. They had coal colored cloaks draped over their shoulders.

Karin holding one extra, bee-lining to Sasuke to drape it over his shoulders, "These will keep us warm and dry in the rain Sasuke-kun." She spoke.

He took the cloak, mid-way through her efforts to touch him, "I can do it myself." He hated when others did deeds like that for him. Made him feel weak, inferior.

Karin 'humphed' before turning her glassed eyes to Sakura, spotting the Uchiha fan hanging on the red string, "What is she wearing?" her tone agitated.

Sakura insinuated appreciation as Suigetsu handed her a cloak, he raised his eye brows to the Uchiha insignia dangling from the crimson strings. Sasuke retorted quickly as Sakura swung the cloak over her shoulders, "She'd stand out too much in clothing from the leaf."

Before Karin had any time to express her fiery jealousy through argument, Sasuke had started forward. "Let's go."

They all followed behind, Suigetsu smirking at Karin's infuriation.

* * *

"So," Suigetsu started, he and Sakura were in the back of the promenade. "You're wearing his clan symbol you know."

She looked down at the spot where the silver and red emblem was pressed to her chest from the weight of the warm cloak, "Yeah, I don't think there was much in the way of options."

He snickered, " Suure … …Heh! Karin's so PO'd, this is great. If you couldn't tell, she's obsessed with Sasuke." Sakura looked to the rest of the team in-front of them, making sure that they weren't too close to hear his hushed tone. "Hey, this means you're on the team too right? I mean, you healed Karin and Sasuke seemed pretty impressed with your skills. You'd be good on the team."

She smiled at his praise, even more so that he had mentioned Sasuke being impressed, though not announcing that he already asked her to be on the team, feeling it to be more Sasuke's place.

^*^*^**^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Sasuke stopped at the edge of the trail, Sakura could see a village off in the west, "Everyone set out. We can all meet back up at dusk."

"Suigetsu, I'll take this side of the woods." Juugo declared.

Suigetsu nodded and headed to the right before slowing and turning his chin to his shoulder and singing with a sly look to Sakura, "Have fuuun."

She crinkled her brow, knowing his implications.

"Karin, get going." Sakura turned to Sasuke, he was scolding Karin, who stood apprehensive to leave her 'Sasuke-kun'. She furrowed her expression at Sakura before nearly stomping in the village's direction.

Sasuke started moving, the pale rosette whispering before following, "She's a lot of fun."

"You just have to get used to her. We don't all have to get along, just work together when the time comes." He's answer was bleak. She was longing to have a conversation with him.

"Sasuke-kun," she said after a moment of walking, an increasing distance between themselves and the scattered woods. She needed to talk with him, the thoughts of Naruto, Tsunade, Kakashi, Sai, all of her family and friends in Konoha were seeping into her mind like a burst pipe covered by a weak wall, "I'm worried about everyone back at Konoha." He had no reaction, so she went on, "They're going to think that I'm abandoning them. I wouldn't do that."

She was impressed on how skilled he was at not even making the slightest flinch when confronted, "Once Itachi is dead, you can go back."

Her hand pulled out from the cloak to brush a tussle of pink from her cheek, noticing the extensive amount of times he was using 'can', as though he wouldn't let her go back until his revenge was full through, "I should at least send them a message, they might worry and look for me."

"Neji and Shikamaru already know what I said. If they're smart, they wouldn't allow that to happen." She noticed that there was a narrowing of his eye of to the distance, trailing something in the far sky with his sable orbs.

She thought back to standing in the snow with her previous team, explaining the situation to a confused Shikamaru.

"_As long as everyone sticks to their word, nothing is going to happen to her." _He had said, implying a passive threat. He wouldn't hurt her, would he? She looked down thinking back further, she could still feel the electricity's effect on her nerves.

Her concern grew as they proceeded forward in the woods, his eye's concentration increased with each couple of steps, though she couldn't see anything in the distant land, "Is something wrong? Can you see something?"

He said nothing; his pace just slowed a bit, still intently eyeing the distance, which looked like dry mountainous land to Sakura. "Go find Karin in the Village. Help her with her searching and errands."

"But, you said that you only needed one person to search the village. What do you see over there?-"

"I said go!" He stopped short in his tracks, his eyes bloody red and sinking quickly into hers. The stern expression on his face conflicted with Sakura's belief that he would hurt her. "Tell Karin to keep an eye out. She get's distracted sometimes." He turned away, leaving Sakura with her feet spread apart, like she was torn in both directions but hesitant to approach either. "Go Sakura."

She waited a second longer before heeding to his command, her eyes slowly rolling off his spiked hair, turning in the direction of the village to find Karin.

* * *

Sakura kept her head low as she made way through the crowded village in search for the red headed, hot tempered 'teammate' of hers. She spotted Karin passing by outdoor shops and pretending to look at the items, though Sakura knew that she was doing so to be able to scope out who was who.

_This is going to be fun…_Sakura pressed her lips together in resentment, wishing Sasuke hadn't sent her to the village to find Karin, "Karin," She said as she reached and audible distance from the back of Karin's head.

The dark glassed roseate snapped her head around, pulling a hand up from under her cloak to balance her glasses on her nose, "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Sasuke-kun said that I should come help you," Karin rolled her eyes and stepped over to the next shop, Sakura following; speaking with slight concern, "I think he saw something."

"I don't need your help." Ignoring Sakura's concerned remark.

Her patience was wearing out with the red-head tracking-nin, "I don't really care whether or not you need help, did you even hear what I just said?"

Karin put her hand on her hip from beneath her cloak, "What do you mean?"

Sakura joined in the exaggerated posture game and crossed her arms, "He was staring off into the distance, then he told me that I should head over to you."

"He always looks off into the distance." Her eyes narrowed.

"He was concentrating on something in particular, like he was following it with his eyes." Karin raised an eyebrow while the other wrinkled, "He also told me to tell you to keep on track, you tend to 'get distracted'?" she had added that for a bit of a punch.

The red headed kunoichi clenched her jaw in thought before turning to walk away, only pausing to say, "You can follow me, just don't get in my way."

* * *

-Meanwhile..-

Sasuke turned his chin a little to let the cool breeze swipe the hair from his line of vision. He had seen something off in the distance, the further he approached; the sense of chakra seemed to be doubling.

He finally stopped where the chakra felt most concentrated, looking around covertly. The rise and fall of mountains in the distance; though he had little time to take in the visually pleasing surroundings, instead turning when he heard a branch shift abnormally. "Whoever it is, show yourself." His tone deepened.

An Akatsuki cloaked figure emerged from behind the trees, an orange mask bearing only a hole for his left eye on top of the figures face, "Uchiha Sasuke, I presume. I've heard much about you."

He stepped closer to Sasuke, resulting in the traditional glare from the obsidian eyes. One that Sasuke never even bothered to put thought into, but it managed to send him scuttling back to the edge of the trees, "Man! You're scary!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in on the man, trying to identify his odd behavior as some tactic, and it was. He looked up, feeling a change in air pressure and wind speed. To his well hidden surprise, an Akatsuki member was swooping down from the sky on top of what appeared to be a paper jutsu. They crashed into the ground, a painfully loud crash of paper producing layers of dust blocking any view until it settled, Orochimaru's snack coiled around him as protection.

Sasuke glared with reddened eyes at the masked Akatsuki member from behind the snake's coils, dashing so quickly toward him that is was as though he simply appeared in front of him with attack.

"Damn, he's so fast." The pony-tailed Akatsuki leaped back into the tree with haste. Sasuke swiped his katana across his victim, sending him to the ground.

"You seem to talk an awful lot like you know about me. What do you know about Itachi?" he felt confident, though became taken aback to see him rise so quickly.

"Common Tobi! He's just a kid! Pick up your game!" The pony tailed Akatsuki hollered from the trees.

"He's fast!" the masked man retorted, backing away as he saw his comrade readying an attack. Sasuke observed as the pony-tailed man reached beneath his coat, pulling out round paper balls into his hands.

"Watch it Tobs!" he yelled as he released them through a hand seal, the paper weapons dispersed, spreading around Sasuke as they expanded into what looked like parchment ticks. He readied himself with electricity flowing generously through his palms; this would be a battle more difficult than he had thought. He leaped from the ground, dodging the parchment insects and reappearing only in the form of an explosion on the branch that the pony-tailed had crouched in.

"Deidara-sempaaaiiii!" Tobi called out on his knees, "No! I admit you're a pain sometimes but you're a good sempai!"

"Will you shut your trap!?" Deidara slid from the blast, residual dust whipping around his feat at his stop, "I just managed to move. He's pretty good. I'll have to up my chakra levels to C2."

Sasuke was more frustrated than he had wanted to be, _this aren't guys to mess with…_ He thought whilst watching as a massive paper dragon appeared behind his two opponents.

"Get ready Tobi!" Deidara yelled as Sasuke came whisking over, a blast sending him back before he had reached them, he felt it all over his body. No, this would most certainly _not_ be an easy battle.

* * *

-Hour Later-

Sakura had been trailing around Karin for too long, at least an hour and a half. Getting bored of Karin's perusal, she started a conversation. "How long have you known Sasuke-kun?"

She scoffed, "Since he joined with Orochimaru, I worked in the prison the he kept full of test-patients."

Sakura looked down at the dirt, "You know him well then?"

"Probably better than you." She remarked with a callous smirk.

Sakura grimaced, she was _trying_ to make a better relationship with the girl, but that didn't seem to work, "Yeah right, you've only known him for three years! Besides, did you spend almost every day with him? I've known him since we were young." She snapped.

"Pardon me, but he's a lot different from what you know of him." She glared at her jade eyes, vibrant with emotion.

"Maybe you could say that, but a string can be tied into many different kinds of knots, no matter what though, when it's undone it's the same string." She sagaciously schooled her.

Karin's face soured heavily, looking as though she was going to really start up a scene, a few towns people had already glanced their way in annoyance. But, she didn't, instead looking straight back through the edge of town where the mountain line was, Sakura turned to look, just seconds before a massive explosion erupted into the sky. The whole village turned to watch, though none as intently as the two kunoichi.

Karin and Sakura both paled, "Sasuke was over there." Karin whispered. Sakura held her eyes on the sluggishly dissipating smoke and dirt that had been thrust into the sky, "I can't feel his chakra."

They ran as fast as they could to reach the location of the heart wrenching explosion. Sakura's heart was nearly thrusting out of her chest as she leaped through the trees behind Karin. Fearing the worst, hoping for the best.

* * *

She raced next to Karin, following her lead to Sasuke. Her heart was pounding wildly, more from fear and anticipation than the tire of the sprint through the trees.

"He should be around here somewhere!" Karin pressed off of the ground to land her feet into the branch of a tree, Sakura joining in suit, landing one branch below her before leaping agilely to the next. "He's through this patch of trees."

She panted, nodding in self response.

When they had finally reached him, he was in a spot that had been almost cleared of foliage. Suigetsu beside his battered body which lay with one elbow on the ground , the other arm clutching his toned bare side. "What happened?!" pink and red said in unison.

"I located Akatsuki, the one I fought was stronger than I had thought." Sasuke huffed out, the large serpent Sasuke had absorbed from Orochimaru wheezed as it died.

"Aw poor guy." Suigetsu commented as Sakura ran to kneel across from Suigetsu, placing a hand on Sasuke's battered shoulder, "You forced the poor thing into a genjutsu."

"I had no other choice," he choked out, glancing at the lifeless serpent before leaning into Sakura's warm touch subconsciously to assist in his efforts to sit up. She was taken aback as she scanned the area around them, the large serpent lifeless, the debris of paper from the battle scattered about.

"You, ki-" she started in shock.

"Yeah." he breathed in heavily.

Juugo had arrived as well, eyeing the hand Sakura had rest on his shoulder, "Heal him." His command was gentle.

She looked down to Sasuke from her knelt position, his eyes heavy; staring down through his bent knees. His wounds were mostly minor, but that was only external. The dirt around his deepest wound made her apprehensive to seal them without getting cleaned first. "I'll work on the major internal injuries, but I want to wait on the open wounds to clean them up first." The med-nin in her clicked on.

"I'll go find a good spot for us to rest afterwards, be back in like, 20 minutes?" Suigetsu stood and waited for everyone's nod before moving out towards the village.

Sasuke being the only one too exhausted to respond, "I'm fine, I just need to rest for a while." His breath was forced.

"Sasuke-kun," she slid her fingers past his ear, pulling strands of dirty coal hair behind it whilst ignoring Karin's beaming eyes burning holes in her back. "Just sit back onto this okay?" she disengaged her cloak, laying it out behind him before helping him to lay back. She couldn't help but to wince with him in pain as his back came in contact with the blanketed rough ground.

Her palms made way to his chest and lean abdomen, examining the damage before tending to it. The two broken ribs were fused in a matter of minutes, relief from pain showing on his battle scared face. The bruising on his abdomen already informed her of the internal bleeding.

"How bad is it?" Karin inquired with her arms crossed, cockily leaning her weight on one leg.

Sakura waited to heal one source of the enclosed blood flow, trying her best to ignore how he faced his head to one side with closed eyes and a small moan of pain. "It's almost done. He'll just need to rest to rebuild his chakra." Despite the pain, Sakura's eminent sage hued chakra felt warm and soothing on his tensed skin.

Suigetsu returned within moments of the healings denouement, Sasuke loosely wrapped his bare arm around Sakura's small shoulders to her offered assistance in proceeding with him the rest of the way, his ankle still fractured. Karin had soon wrapped around his other side more in competition than compassion. They made way to a safer place.

* * *

**Reviews! They are my reason for writing ^^ Thank you to all who have and do.**

**So, not as much angst this time around. On my Livejournal, I said that I would give the chapters more time to sink into the system before posting new ones, but everone wanted the next chapter, so I stayed up to, *looks at clock* 1:37am for you all. And I have school tomorrow. **

**I'd expect the next Chapie by Fridays sometime, entitled, "Temptation to Pull". Updates/ sneak-peeks on my Livejournal as I go. (link is in my profile)**

**So tell me what works, what doesnt work, what I can improve on and what I suck at haha, I'd like to utilize this story to simultaneously enhance my writing skills.**


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